Live penguins protest budget slash at state capitol

State lawmakers have placed thousands of appropriations in the respective House and Senate proposed budgets this year in Tallahassee — so how to get some attention for one particular project?

Bring penguins.

That’s what the staff at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa did Wednesday, bringing four penguins to the Capitol for lawmakers, staff, and reporters to get a glimpse of.

It brought attention to the budget appropriation made by Tampa Republican Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman in the House and Tampa Bay-area Republican Danny Burgess in the Senate for $1 million for the aquarium’s storm and flood protection project, which is designed to provide total perimeter protection for animal habitats and life-support systems against wind and flood damage.

“Because we are building and investing in this large outdoor habitat, for not only our African penguins but we’ll have California sea lions out there as well, with all the recent impacts from the hurricanes that we had this past fall, we’re really looking forward to being able to have a more resilient outdoor space, so we’re seeking funding for a seawall that will protect us during those times,” said Emily Vazir, development coordinator at the Florida Aquarium.

That project is just part of the $45 million expansion that the aquarium has been working on since 2023 and expects to complete in 2026.

Archibold, or Archi, was on display at Senate Majority Leader Jim Byrd’s office on Wednesday. At 4 years old, Archi is the youngest penguin in the aquarium colony, according to Vazir. There are nine at the facility. Three other penguins accompanied Archi in making the visit to the Capitol.